During the early days of aviation, airmail pilots flew out of Forest Park in St Louis. In 1925, Robertson Aircraft was awarded the contract to fly the mail between St Louis and Chicago. On April 15, 1926, chief pilot Charles Lindbergh made the first flight. It was a dangerous job, and "Lucky" Lindbergh was forced to bail out of his plane on at least two occasions. On those trips, he had time to dream about a solo flight across the Atlantic. He took the idea to Major Albert Bond Lambert, who put up the first $1,000. Lindy was turned down by the Post-Dispatch, which labeled the venture as too risky. But he convinced other prominent civic leaders to back his attempt. Businessman Harry Bixby suggested that the plane should be named The Spirit of St Louis